In the evening, when Ian arrived at the Xavier mansion, he stood outside the door until Elaine came to open the door. She had just washed her hair, and there was a faint scent of shampoo, and her half-dried hair was loosely tied.Her plain face made her look a little more innocent.Not many women could maintain their fair complexion and smooth skin when they were without makeup.“You’ve come, do come in.” Elaine pulled him into the entryway and closed the door.In order to entertain him, Jenna had already cooked up a storm in the kitchen and prepared a sumptuous dinner. All there was left to do was to wait for him to come for dinner.“It’s nice to see you, Mr. Xavier, Mrs. Xavier.” He nodded slightly and sounded very humble and polite.“Alright, go wash your hands and join us at the table. Everyone has been waiting for you.” Jenna welcomed him with a grin and then said, “Elaine doesn’t know what you like to eat, so I only cooked some of our usual dishes.”Ian took a glance at El
Jenna felt confused and brought the fruit platter and tea upstairs again. When she saw Ian and Edward coming out of the study, she stopped on the spot and asked, “Have the both of you been in the study room all this while?”Ian nodded.Edward stared at her. “I was chatting with Ian in the study. What’s wrong?”“I just asked Elaine to bring you a fruit platter and some tea, but she told me she didn’t see you two in the study...”Edward’s expression changed instantly, and he exchanged gazes with Ian.‘It seems that she’s heard.’On the other end of the mansion…Elaine was sitting alone by the pond in the backyard.Ian followed a servant to the backyard. The servant said something to him and left, and Ian walked toward Elaine.Elaine threw the pebble in her hand into the pond, and no ripple could be seen due to the darkness.She heard footsteps, stopped what she was doing, but did not look back. “I know what you want to say, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t care.”Ian stopped beh
“Elaine Xavier, our feelings for each other can be cultivated. At least, what I just said was said with a sincere heart, and it has nothing to do with making up to you.”The evening breeze brushed against his collar, and the emotions that were overflowing from his eyes were blazing. “If all I want is to make up to you, there are plenty more ways to make it happen. I don’t have to go with this.”Elaine was stunned. After a long time, she pursed her lips. “Do you like me? Even if it’s only a little.”Ian looked down at her. “At least I don’t repel the feelings I have for you, nor do I hate them.”Her gaze shifted away from him, and she did not even utter a single word.Ian lifted his hand and stroked her cheek while Elaine froze in place. Her heartbeat was getting more and more intense as her heart beat along. She lowered her gaze and did not dare to move a muscle.His thick and rough palms brushed across her cheeks and rubbed against the corner of her lips.He approached her slow
Compared with the despicable tactics that Juan used in the business circle, Ian’s close relationship with the higher-ups had already won him a lot of opportunities.Kevin was relieved. “Luckily, he’s not working with Mr. Saldana.”Otherwise, Synergy would only become more aggressive.After chatting for a short while, Kevin left.Nolan poured a cup of tea slowly and calmly. “So, is he taking over Synergy now?”Quincy shook his head. “No, Ian only took the shares but did not take over Synergy. He gave it to Mrs. Saldana.”Nolan placed the teacup against his lower lip.‘Ian gave Synergy to Mrs. Saldana. It seems he’s the one who informed Mrs. Saldana about the stolen money.‘He didn’t make a move by himself, hid behind the curtains, diverted Juan’s attention, and used Mrs. Saldana to go against him. If Ian were to be my rival, then he'd be a difficult man to deal with.’At that moment, at Synergy…Ian and Mrs. Saldana were sitting in the office drinking tea and talking to each o
It had taken Ian two months only to find a clue because he knew his mother better than other police officers. His mother had died because of her greed. The same thing had repeated itself—she had used some despicable means to attain superiority, and it threatened the other party's interests. That was how she had gotten killed.Ian took a sip of tea unconcernedly. “It’s all in the past.”His mother’s death did not sadden him.Even if it was mentioned again in his life, his heart had long gotten numb over this matter.Mrs. Saldana stared at him. After all, she was also a mother. It was impossible for Ian not to have experienced distress throughout his childhood. “It’s not your fault that you have such a mother.”Ian paused for a bit, then laughed out loud. “Are you comforting me?”“I’m not comforting you. I’ve always been an unbiased person when it comes to separating private matters from businesses. I won’t transfer the grudges that I have for your mother onto you.”Mrs. Saldana s
“It’s okay. I don’t want to waste it,” said Elaine.Ian walked into the office and immediately removed his jacket and tie as he never liked to wear formal clothes.Elaine walked in behind him with her coffee and looked up to witness this scene. The thin white shirt was pressed against his chest, so the outlines of his body could easily be seen as he breathed in and out.She would say that Ian was the most well-built man she had ever met.As expected of a man who had been an undercover agent for years, graduated from the police academy, and trained in the army for many years.The last time she ran into him accidentally was when he was changing his clothes. He looked muscular, but his build did not look very exaggerated. The curvatures and lines of his muscles looked very firm and as hard as nails.When working in her office, she often heard her female colleagues talking about men’s abs. Most women loved men who had abs because they made them look sexy.Elaine looked down subconsc
“But I didn’t let you trust your instinct. Why do you trust me if you don’t know me well enough, and I’ve never done anything to help you trust me?”Elaine took a deep breath. “Have you opened up to me?”Ian looked at her. “It’s not too late yet.”Elaine paused because she didn’t know what she could learn about him, so she hesitated. “You will answer no matter what I ask?”Ian fell silent for a moment. “It depends.”“If you’re just toying with me, then I’m going to leave.” She had a temper too. Elain put down the cup and got up to leave.Ian grabbed her by her arm, which made her stumble and fall into his arms, frozen.Ian put his arm around her waist, and she could feel the warmth.She pressed her palms to his chest and started to feel hotter through her hands. She couldn’t look up at him.Ian gulped and froze too. Elaine took a peek at him. He had two buttons undone, it was late autumn, and the air conditioning was turned on, but he looked like he was sweating.She starte
Daisie laughed while Colton’s lips curled. “This little thing is obsessed with money.”The owner of the store walked out and laughed. “Hello, little patrons. Are you interested in our Big Spender?”“That’s its name?”That was such a silly name!The pet store owner’s smile widened. “Yes, didn’t it introduce itself to you? It’s called Big Spender.”Daisie and Colton’s lips curled.Daisie walked toward the parrot, smiled, and waved. “Hello, Big Spender.”The parrot flapped its wings. “It’s great to be a Big Spender.”She laughed, then turned to ask the owner, “Can it say a lot of words?”“Of course. It’s a smart bird and will learn if you teach it.”Daisie thought that it was amazing, so she looked at the parrot and said, “Happy birthday Grandpa.”The parrot tilted its head, “Happy birthday Grandpa.”Daisie chuckled, ran to Colton, and tugged at his arm. “I want it.”Colton nodded and looked at the pet store owner. “We’ll take it.”The owner laughed. “Great!”After paying,